82nd Hunger Games: Tonight They Will Fall
by Latviaa
Summary: The 82nd Hunger Games may not be a Quarter Quell, but the Capitol has a number of dark twists for the tributes this year. Their thirst for blood will ensure that each tribute will fall in a memorable spill of pain and blood.
1. D1: Kids Shouldn't Play With Knives

**Kids Shouldn't Play With Knives**

**Jennifer Hale (District 1)**

I sit on my bed, my favourite knives beside me. One by one I throw them into the target I pinned to my wall a number of years ago when I first started training for the Hunger Games. They hit the target every time, the first knife hitting the centre and the subsequent ones hitting the lines that mark the target circles, spinning out in a perfect spiral. '

Now that is talent.

I will definitely have an advantage in the arena because knives are the most common weapon and they are what I am strongest in. Usually the knife throwers come from District 2, so I am a rarity here.

It doesn't bother me thought.

I like to stand out.

"Jennifer?" My mother is knocking on the door. I ignore her, picking up another knife from my polished white bedside table, turning it over and over in my hands while I admire the glint that the polished silver throws in the light seeping through my open curtains. "Jennifer?"

My mother bursts into the room just as I deliberately let a knife fly from my fingers and into the door.

"If it wasn't illegal, that knife would've gone into your head, mother." I say casually, as if this was the most normal thing in the world and not a death threat. But then again, coming from a career district, death threats are pretty common and a popular way to express darker emotions towards a person.

"Jen, why are you like this towards me? I love you so much you know." My mother sounds so pathetic every time she opens her mouth, and that confession of love for me was no exception.

"What do you want?" I ask, ignoring what she had said.

"It's almost time for the Reaping. We need to leave soon." She tells me.

"Fine." I say, getting out of bed. "Now get out of my room."

"Jen..." She whispers but I ignore the sad expression on her face.

"Get out." I push her out, slamming the door in her face.

As soon as she is out of my sight, I relax, all the tension fading away and being replaced by the excitement I feel for today. The reaping day for the 82nd Hunger Games, and the day that I will become a tribute.

I will volunteer and I will win.

I grab the dress out of my closet that I decided on last night. It is a strapless blue bubble dress which goes amazingly with my slightly tanned skin and chocolate brown hair that falls just past the halfway mark of my back. At 5 ft, 1 inch, I am pretty small for a girl my age and even smaller for the average career but it won't matter because I am deadly enough.

I've only ever made a mistake once with my knives, cutting my left bicep deeply. A jagged scar remains but I don't ever bother to cover it up.

To hide it would be to hide who I am.

To show it tells everyone what kind of person I am. A person who is looking for the perfect opportunity to kill someone without getting arrested.

A few minutes later I hear the siren that calls us all to the square for the Reaping to take place. For those who live on the outskirts of District 1, they would have left earlier. But the wealthier families like mine who live closer to the main city can afford to leave now when the journey only takes a few short minutes. I pull on a small, blue ring that will be my token and that is it.

I am ready.

"Jen-" I shove past my mother and out of the house, not even bothering to wait for her. I have never directly said that I was going to volunteer today, but she knows and probably wants to take a last minute opportunity to talk me out of it.

Well, I don't want to be talked out of it.

I make it to the square in a few minutes and sign in, moving over to stand in the seventeen year old section as soon as I can. I get a position on the outskirts, right at the edge so it is easier for me to sprint to the stage.

I am not the only person planning on volunteering today. That goes without saying, which is why I am volunteering at seventeen so I still have a chance if I miss out today.

But I won't.

I _will _be the female tribute for District 1 and in a month or so I will return here as the newest victor.

A hush falls over the crowd as our escort steps onto the stage. The man from the Capitol, Erebus, begins by giving a speech that we all tune out of.

No one cares about anything that he says, except for announcing the tributes.

"Now for the tributes." He says which is what reawakens most of the crowd including myself. He moves first towards the female bowl, and I brace myself to begin running. "Hailee Stone."

Whoever Hailee Stone is, she is probably smart enough to know that she doesn't need to come forward because I, along with a number of other girls, begin the race to the stage.

"I volunteer!" I scream, running for dear life.

My emotions reach an all time high and I am filled with pride when I reach the stage first, and Erebus holds my hand up triumphantly to the crowd.

"What's your name?" He asks.

"Jennifer Hale." I say, filled with confidence because everyone in Panem is looking at their victor for the very first time.

**Anderson Zarbon (District 1)**

When I see all the kids from Districts other than 1, 2 and 4, those kids who scream and cry when their names are called, I just don't understand. Being a tribute in the Hunger Games, and winning the Hunger Games is the greatest honour that anyone can have.

They sob and break down because they are certain they are going to their death and then a lot of them don't try. They start to sob and break down when the games start and they end up dead.

I don't understand why they cry when it only gets you killed. But something I am even more confused about is why these stupid kids are even in the games to begin with. Fine, maybe not everyone is like me and completely lives for the games, but wouldn't it make more sense for people who have a chance to volunteer over the stupid, snivelling kids who usually get Reaped?

That's just what I think anyway.

Normally I don't think this hard about everything but it is Reaping day for the 82nd Hunger Games and my mind can't help but be focused on everything to do with the Hunger Games. I'm on edge because I am so excited.

Thankfully I don't have to wait long because District 1 always has their Reapings early in the morning and I am _very _eager to see who my competition will be.

Not that anyone will be much competition for me.

"Brother." My nine year old sister Evelyn smiles at me as I walk out of the room. "Make sure you don't die because there is still heaps of stuff that I want you to teach me."

I'm not going to die.

I know that, and my sister who looks at me with her adorable, admiring eyes knows it as well.

Evelyn has always looked up to me because I'm somewhat of a prodigy with tactics and weapons so I'm always teaching her everything that I can.

"You know, I don't think mum likes this." She mutters before I walk out to the family room.

"It's not really her choice. Dad approves of it anyway." I tell her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. She's going to worry about you a lot though." Evelyn says. I pull her aside.

"I'm sorry you're going to have to put up with her Ev, but you and I both know she has nothing to worry about." I give my little sister a wink and she smiles back.

Today I am going to volunteer for the 82nd Hunger Games, wether my mother likes it or not.

The next two or so hours fly in a complete blur and it seems like only a few minutes later that I am at the Reaping. I can't help but think about how much effort and training I put in to get to this point, a point where I am ready to volunteer.

In my mind, I can't see a way that I won't be going home.

When I look around the city square and justice building of District 1, I know that I will be back here within a few weeks.

Alive.

Everyone else will be dead.

But I will be alive.

"Now for the tributes." The escort says, and I snap back to reality. I didn't realise how much time had passed since I had retreated into my own glowing fantasies about the moment of my return to District 1. Thankfully, I'm not that only one. The beginning of the Reaping is pretty much the same every year and I am not the only one who is obviously re-awakening back to reality. The escort moves over to the female reaping bowl and pulls out a name.

"Hailee Stone."

Hailee Stone doesn't even get a chance to move before a bunch of girls start pushing their way out of their sections, battling to get to the stage. But just like the Hunger Games, only one person stands forward as the victor.

"I volunteer!" A girl screams, running up to the stage and making her way to stand beside the escort. He grabs her hand, holding it up in celebration.

"What's your name?" He asks.

"Jennifer Hale." The girls says with complete confidence. Her hazel eyes dart around, watching the crowd and she flips her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder with a smile. Then she carefully watches as the escort draws out another name, scanning the crowd for the first signs of movement and the appearance of the person who will be her District partner.

"Jake Ylonda." He says and I immediately make my move.

"I volunteeeer." I stride forward out of my section, only to be greeted with an intense mumbling from the crowd at my appearance.

I expected them to be a little shocked so I just ignore them as I take my place next to Jennifer Hale.

"What's your name?" The escort asks me.

"Anderson Zarbon." I say, just as confident as Jennifer. He re-introduces both of us and tells us to shake hands. As we shake hands, Jennifer leans a little closer.

"Hasn't anyone told you that children shouldn't play with knives?" Her voice is layered with sarcasm and I can tell by the look in her eyes that she thinks I will be quick to go.

Those hazel eyes had followed me the second I stepped out from the twelve year old section so I had been expecting it.

"Didn't anyone tell you that I play with swords?" I wink at her.

I may be only twelve years old, but I am ready for this.

Bring it on.


	2. D2: Careers Who Need Luck

**Careers Who Need Luck**

**Sera Dront (District 2)**

I get ready for the Reaping in my house at Victors Village. My mother, Lenme Dront, though she was Lenme Hart before she married, and my father Brute, are both past victors of the Hunger Games. The games they won were pretty close together and my father was a mentor to my mother. A lot of people are jealous of me because when it comes to training for the games, I have the best and if I were to volunteer, chances are one of my parents would be my mentor.

The odds are definitely in my favour, even more so than the typical tribute from District 2.

Once I have pulled on the light blue dress I am wearing to the Reaping and styled my grey, brown curls into a presentable fashion, I hurry out of my room. I almost slam into my twin sisters when I walk out. Jona and Alma are always fighting so it is no surprise to me. It's pretty common but that doesn't mean I like it.

"Stop it!" I hiss, grabbing both my twelve year old sisters by their arms and pulling them apart, pushing them into the walls on either side of the hallway outside my room.

"But..." Jona proceeds to try and win my sympathy but explaining what happened but I let go and walk away because I don't really care. Gosh, they could make an effort to at least be decent around me for the morning. I may as well enjoy my last day in District 2 because I won't be coming home for a while.

Not until after the Victor's interviews once I've won the 82nd Hunger Games.

With both our parents as victors, Jona, Alma, my brother Sleath and I have a lot to live up to. As the oldest in my family, I am going to be the first to volunteer for the Hunger Games, but in a matter of years all my siblings will have followed after our parents and I. Sleath will volunteer for the 84th Hunger Games at seventeen, Jona for the 87th at seventeen as well, and Alma for the 88th when she is eighteen.

"Are you ready for today?" My mother asks as soon as I walk into her sight. I give her a cute smile followed by a wink.

"I've been ready for this for year's mother."

Ever since I started training when I was five years old, I had been looking forward to this moment.

"Well I just can't wait for you to move out." She smiles, referring to that fact that while I have grown up in Victors Village, I will get my own house when I win.

"I'm not that bad." I reply with a sweet smile. "I'm going to go to the Reaping now. I want to get a good spot as close to the front."

I don't say goodbye to my mother and she doesn't say goodbye to me because in both of our minds, there is no doubt that I am going to win.

I get to the square where the Reaping is taking place and while it doesn't start for an hour, plenty of people are already packing into the area. There are an abundance of people taking and placing bets on the person who will volunteer, as well as what kind of person who will be reaped but have no opportunity to participate.

I smile as I sign in and take my place, not even caring how early I am.

"Hey." My best friend, Flox, runs up to me after I have been waiting for a few minutes. "I knew you'd be early."

"Why are you here right now?" Flox is the kind of person who does like to sleep in a lot and she has no desire to volunteer. According to her, she still has another year if she changes her mind.

"I'm your fan club today." She smiles. "You excited?"

"Of course." I tell her and for the next forty five minutes we talk about everything from how I am going to win, to what I am going to say in my Victors Interview.

"Oh hey, they're starting." Flox whispers, drawing my attention to the stage as the escort begins to talk. As soon as he announces it is time to draw the names you could hear a pin drop in the silence. He draws the boys name first and proceeds to read it out, but he doesn't get to complete it. He never does.

"Trip St-"

"I volunteer!" A tall and vicious looking eighteen year old lunges forward to the stage. He fits the typical profile of the volunteers from District 2 and I know that he will be one of the most feared in the games without a doubt. "I'm Ace Bender."

"Well congratulations Ace. Now let's see who you're District partner is going to be." The escort draws out another names and just like the first, he doesn't get to finish it.

"Ka-"

"I volunteer!" I yell, running forward as fast as I can. I am glad that I wore flats, unlike the morons who showed up in heels, because I can be ten times faster than them. I hurry up to the stage, smiling happily. "I'm Sera Dront."

"Dront? As in Lenme Dront and Brute Dront?" The escort asks.

"Who else." I flip my hair over my shoulder with a charismatic smile.

"Well these are our tributes. Sera Dront and Ace Bender. Shake hands now." I turn towards Ace, my eyes lingering on the scar that runs across his face that I didn't notice before as I shake his hand. I smile at him.

"Good luck." I tell him with a wink.

"Keep it. I'm not going to need it."

**Ace Bender**

Before the Reaping, I spend the morning in my room watching a previous Hunger Games. I'm not really interested in anything before or after the actual games so I just watch the arena parts, which lasts for about two hours.

I smile as I watch the final fight between the girl from District 1 and the girl from District 2. I have seen these games before and I know who wins, but I always get a thrill from watching the final moments of any arena.

It is obvious that the District 1 girl, Diamond, is going to die. The girl from District 2 has pinned her to the ground with several knives that she has run through her feet and hands, and is now proceeding to cut into her skin with the ones she has left, drawing pictures of Diamond's to mock her. This goes on for a while because they always play the last death in full. Diamond is a few seconds away from probably dying of blood loss when the District 2 girl finally stabs her knife into her chest.

The cannon fires. The trumpets play.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Lenme Hart from District 2, the winner of the 62nd Hunger Games."

I always love the game where tributes from District 2 win.

"What are you doing watching TV?" My father Felix yells when he sees me in front of the TV in my room. "Get ready for the Reaping."

"What? Are you worried I'll miss my one chance to volunteer?" I say, my words dripping with sarcasm. Like hell I was. This was the year for me to volunteer and win the Hunger Games at eighteen years old. It was my last year in the reaping so like hell I was going to be late.

"Just get ready Ace." He says, leaving them room.

I watch Lenme Hart for a few more minutes before I switch the TV off and begin to get ready. It doesn't take long and in a few minutes I am looking pretty presentable in a pair of slacks and a black collared shirt. It doesn't matter to me what I wear. The sponsors aren't going to care what I look like. All they're really going to care about is if I can win.

I look like someone that everyone will fear, someone who can crush the others with their bare hands.

Translation: I look like I'm going to be the one to win.

I am going to be the one to win.

I leave pretty soon after, making my own way there instead of with my family because I know that they will come to say goodbye to me and I can see them then. I make it to the city square pretty quickly, an advantage of living inside the city instead of scattered outside like some of the poorer people. Soon enough I am standing in the eighteen year old section, getting ready for the moment when I will volunteer for these games.

The escort takes the stage and begins to go on about the same stuff we hear every year, but a few minutes later he is picking out a boy's name from the reaping bowl and I get ready.

"Trip St-" I don't even let him finish the boys name but people never do.

"I volunteer!" I yell, running up to the stage and standing beside the escort. I take the microphone from him. "I'm Ace Bender."

The escort gives me a stupid smile.

"Well congratulations Ace. Now let's see who you're District partner is going to be." He proceeds to grab a name for the girl's reaping bowl and opens it up. He had barely opened his mouth and begun to talk when someone cuts him off.

"Ka-"

"I volunteer!" The girl bursts out of the seventeen year old section and runs up to the stage like I did, her grey brown hair bouncing and her blue dress rippling around a little bit with the movement. As I watch her I get the idea that I've seen her before but I can't pull a name to my mind. She just seems familiar and in a few seconds I have my answer. "I'm Sera Dront." She says confidently.

"Dront? As in Lenme Dront and Brute Dront?" The escort asks, coming to the same conclusion as I do.

"Who else." She flips her hair over her shoulder, smiling a beautiful smile.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Lenme Hart from District 2, the winner of the 62__nd__ Hunger Games."_

Lenme Hart, the District 2 victor who later married another victor named Brute Dront. So this was their oldest daughter and she was going to be my District partner.

I can't help but smile because things have taken an interesting turn.

We will be in an alliance first, but eventually it will break down, and when it does I will be the one to kill the daughter of two of the best victors our District has ever seen.

"Well these are our tributes. Sera Dront and Ace Bender. Shake hands now." Sera turns towards me, smiling a little as she shakes my hand.

"Good luck." She gives me a little wink.

"Keep it. I'm not going to need it." I tell her with a returning smile.

Trust me, I don't need luck. When she faces me, she will need all the luck she needs.

And it still won't be enough.


	3. D3: The Contrast Between Lace and Bolts

**The Contrast Between Lace and Bolts**

**Bolt Alva (District 3)**

"Make sure you fix the TV before the Reaping." My father says as he and my mother head out of the house with my little sister. I think my parents want to be at the Reaping early, but I appreciate they don't pressure me into going with them. As long as I show up, I guess they don't mind when I get there.

"Yep." I say, even though my father is out of earshot. I head into the living room and get to work on the TV. We aren't from the richest part of District 3 so we can't just buy a new one.

When something breaks, we have to fix it ourselves.

I don't really want to fix it. To be honest, I would be more happy if it stayed the way it was and if it didn't work. Today is the Reaping, so that means starting tonight we will have a lot of mandatory viewing related to the Hunger Games. All the Capitol stuff about the tributes isn't that bad but they often show replays of the games and those make me sick.

And when the current games start, we are almost always watching TV if we aren't doing anything else because we have to.

I hate the Hunger Games. I believe the Capitol is wrong and I hate knowing that in a few days I will have to sit down and watch the tributes from three and numerous others die at the hands of their fellow tributes.

If I wanted to have anything to do with all that stuff then I would just volunteer myself.

I laugh out loud at that thought. District 3 never has volunteers. I could safely bet that if there is a volunteer I will kill myself because it just won't happen.

I laugh again at that thought as well.

Sometimes I just love my sarcasm. It gets me through the day.

"Hey Bolt." My best friend Samsung walks into the room just as the TV flickers on. "Oh you fixed it?"

"Just now." I say, turning it off as quickly as it came on.

In the Districts there are always people who like to bet on the tributes that will be chosen and in the Capitol there are thousands more, much richer people who do that as well. I don't want to watch a program on it though.

"Why did you do that?" Samsung asks. "They just showed a glimpse of the tributes from one."

"Why do you care?" I ask; a question for a question.

"Just want to know the competition if I go in."

"You'll know because of the recaps." I tell her. "Well, what did they look like?"

"Careers, though the boy was pretty young." She tells me.

"How young?"

"Younger than us."

I can barley picture a tribute from District 1 being younger than either of us. Samsung and I are both fourteen and most of the careers are seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Strange." I say before brushing it off. Samsung and I have our own reaping to worry about, instead of thinking of the others. "Is it time to go?"

"Yep." She nods. "Come on."

Samsung and I make it to the Reaping just as the last groups of people are coming in. We head over to our fourteen year olds section. In District Three they don't bother separating the girls and boys because they don't have enough space so we are all able to stand together unlike many other Districts. When we stand in our section I can't help but notice my best friend is shaking.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. Samsung shakes her head.

"No." She mutters and in that moment I understand her perfectly.

We aren't a career district. Everyone here, every single person, fears for their safety and their life right now because we aren't from a group of people that rejoice in the Hunger Games and are desperate to volunteer themselves.

I am scared as well.

"You'll be okay." I say because she has to be. We simply have to be okay.

The crowd is already quiet but the noise completely stops as the reaping starts, progressing quickly onto the selection of the tributes. It's not like we have many victors that can be read out unlike the long lists from 1, 2 and 4.

No, it's not like that here.

"Now I am going to read out the boy's name." The escort says. I'm surprised because for some reason it isn't ladies first today. Not that it matters much. The outcome will still be the same. There will still be two families who withdraw into their houses. It is always like that here.

"Bolt Alva."

My name. That's my name, but no! It can't be!

But I know it is when I catch sight of Samsung's horrified face, and the faces of the people all around me who are staring at me. Their expressions are blank but I know that they are glad it wasn't them.

I can't blame them, just like they can't blame me for wishing that it was.

I slowly walk up to the stage, taking the place that I wish wasn't mine.

It shouldn't be mine.

It shouldn't be anyone's.

Especially not Samsung's because it's her name that's read out next.

"No!" I exclaim, horrified that my best friend will share the same fate as me.

The seconds tick past and have no idea how I am going to bare anything past this moment. Then something happens that is so shocking but I won't question it because it means my best friend won't share the same fate as me.

Still, even though I try to accept what has happened, my eyes widen when the girl volunteers.

**Lacey King (District 3)**

I role my eyes at my older brother Chris as he tells me to get ready for the Reaping. It's because our parents aren't around that he is trying to act all mature in front of Lissy and I. I mean, Chris is twenty but he acts like a complete kid sometimes. I'm fourteen and I act more mature then him.

"I'm ready." I tell him in a strained tone.

"You are not going to wear that. Our parents will kill you." He points at the short, sexy black dress that I'm wearing.

"Why not?" I glare at him.

"Because you are way too young."

I flip my bleach blonde hair back over my shoulders, cross my arms, jut out my hip and give him a look that says "I don't care."

"If I'm going to the Capitol then looking like this will get me sponsors and trust me, the outfits for the interview will be much, much worse."

And by worse, I mean much, much more sexy.

"You are not going to the Capitol." He says, all his objections about my outfit drop. "There is no way you are going to the Capitol Lacey King."

"Sure sure." I brush off his seriousness and the obvious worry in his eyes and walk out of the house.

"Lacey!" He calls after me but I ignore him because I know that he won't run after me or anything.

My family has always been a bit concerned about me because, well, I'm not like the usual tribute from District Three. Not many people from my District live to watch the Hunger Games, just like not many people live to be in them. They worry about me because everyone knows that the Reapings can be rigged and I would be ideal to send. Everyone worries about me because no matter how much I love them, I would have little training if I went.

Well, they're idiots to think that I haven't been training on my own, but there is something they worry about even more that clouds everything else.

My parents, my brother and my sister are scared that if I was a tribute in the Hunger Games, that I would throw myself into it and that I would kill and that I would enjoy it.

Well I don't care what they think.

"This District should have more people like me." I actually say aloud.

"So, you're really going to do it?" My friend, Alice Renning, hurries up beside me. She must be heading to the Reaping as well. Alice is the only person I have told of my plan.

"Yep." I smile sweetly.

"I almost thought you were joking at first but when I think about it, you're such a fanatic that it's not that hard to fathom." She says, though she doesn't let on her personal opinion on the matter.

Though, if I stopped to care about opinions then I wouldn't be volunteering today.

"District Three needs someone like me to win for them." I say.

"Well if anyone from here can win, I am sure it's you." Alice tells me as we reach the square and we line up to sign in. We don't say anything more after that, instead just going to our section and waiting there. At fourteen years old, we are still more towards the back of the place but it doesn't matter.

It's not like anyone is going to be running to beat me to the stage.

"Okay everyone, welcome to the Reaping and Happy Hunger Games." The escort says, taking the stage. "May the odds be ever in your favour."

Yeah. Blah, blah, blah.

Get to the good stuff.

"Now I am going to read out the boy's name."

Yeah, that's more like it.

"Bolt Alva." The escort calls out. There is a turning of heads close to me and I follow them, seeing the scared looking boy only a few people away. He looks horrified but still manages to mount the stage without breaking down and sobbing like most people.

After a few seconds, the second name is read out.

"Samsung Hartor." There is once again the turning of heads, this time directed towards the friend of Bolt Alva who is on the verge of tears.

"No!" Bolt cries out and I take this as my cue, the perfect moment.

"I volunteer!" I yell out, pushing past the girl, Samsung, and moving towards the stage. I can hear the collective gasps and while I can't hear their voices individually, I know that the various members of my family will be some of the louder people and the most shocked.

Not that I care much.

"My name is Lacey King." I smile, more for the cameras then my actual District.

A smile for the cameras and a smile for the boy beside me who looks horrified and relieved at the same time.

We may be the same age and from the same District but there is a world of difference between us.

A contrast that is lighting up every screen in Panem right now.


	4. D4: The Heroes of the Water

**The Heroes of the Water**

**Maria Winston (District 4)**

I wake up to hear my little sister crying my name from across the room we share. My mother or seventeen year old sister Ariel must not be able to hear Rete crying or they would have come before.

"Mia!" She calls out.

"I'm awake Re Re. What is it?" I quickly push the covers off my bed and get out, moving across the room to hers in a few quick steps.

"I had a nightmare." She whispers. I touch her head, an action that is reassuring to her but in reality I am trying to feel the temperature of her skin. Her face is flushed and when I touch her head it feels like she is burning up.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" I ask her, sitting beside her bead. On her bedside table is a small bowl full of water and a cloth. I dampen the cloth in the water and then place it on her head, wiping away the sweat and trying to cool her down.

"I can't really remember it. But it was so scary." She mutters, closing her eyes.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't real."

"I know."

We sit there in silence for a moment while I continue to wipe her head.

"Go back to sleep." I tell her. "Leave the cloth on your head and just go back to sleep." Rete grabs my arm as I try to stand up.

"Mia, have I gotten worse?" She asks.

"You haven't gotten worse but I just want to make sure you get all the rest you need." I tell her, smiling a little at my thirteen year old sister.

"Okay..." Her voice trails off as she tries to go back to sleep and I leave the room. I walk out into the kitchen area where my mother and sister are sitting at the table.

"She's gotten worse." I tell them, having lied through my teeth when Rete asked me how she was doing. My father is out fishing but if he was here I know that he would have been as worried as the three of us are about Rete. It was about a month and a half ago that she started to get feverish and sick. When we took her to the doctor about a month ago when she was at her worse, we were told that she is in desperate need of medicine but a type that is not accessible in the Districts.

Basically he meant that she is going to die.

A later visit gave us a prognosis of around two months.

We haven't told her that she is dying.

"What are we going to do?" Ariel whispers.

"There isn't much she can do. We probably won't even be able to get her to the Reaping today." My mother replies.

"That doesn't matter. We have the paper from the Doctor that says she is dying and that's suitable for exception." I say, knowing that she didn't need to be at the Reaping because even if she was chosen, someone would volunteer.

District 4 is a career District after all. We never have a shortage of volunteers.

My hand curls over the fishing net bracelet on my wrist, tracing the outlines of a little glass fish. Rete made it for me years ago and it has become a way for me to keep calm. Despite our conversation, I try to force a smile. I am usually one of the happiest people on the planet, with the exception of when Rete is in a bad condition which has been increasingly often.

"I don't want to draw any attention to her being really sick." My mother whispers. She was right of course, considering we didn't want Rete to know how bad her condition was. "We should just take her to the Reaping and Ariel or you can stand with her."

"No." I whisper, something coming to my mind as my mother spoke those words.

"What?"

"Don't take her to the Reaping." I reply.

"Why not?" Ariel looks concerned, her narrow eyes watching me as if she can see what I am getting at even though my mother is still clueless.

"I don't want her to see it." That is all I say before I dash back into my room. Rete is asleep so I am quite as I get ready. I dress in a strapless, sea blue dress and put my hair into a braided bun. My shoes are a pretty white like the pearl bracelet and necklace I also pull on. When I am ready, I turn around to look at my sister.

"I love you." I whisper, kissing her hair gently, so as to not wake her. She doesn't stir and I watch her for another minute before I leave. My mother and sister aren't in the kitchen anymore and I don't wait for them, deciding to head to the reaping on my own.

The Reaping starts about fifteen minutes after I make it to the square. I wait for the moment that the female tribute is announced, and because it is always 'ladies first', I don't have to wait for very long.

"Ann-"

"I volunteer!" I yell, bursting out of the fifteen year old section. Most volunteers are usually eighteen but I won by being the first to yell out and that is all that matters.

I come from a career district so I have been trained for the games for many years. I am not weak or unable to wield any weapons. I can be lethal and I won't hesitate to kill.

I like watching the games though I've never had any desire to be in them until Rete got even worse today. If I win, then I can get Re Re the medicine she needs and that is all that I care about.

**Bracken Daly (District 4)**

It is the morning of the Reaping and I standing on one of the cliffs. Unlike the children from other District's, it is pretty easy for us from Four to relax. I am standing, looking out at the sea and one of my best friends, Meghan White, is sitting under a palm tree reading a book. Her little sister is standing beside me.

I can't help but notice that she keeps edging forward, closer and closer towards the edge. Glancing back, I see that Meghan is still absorbed in her book. I take a step forward so that I am in front of her sister, Ripple, and nudge one of the cliff stones in front of her.

It isn't big, but it is just big enough to trip on.

I judged everything right, and Ripple takes a step forward and trips on the rock. The little girl tumbles forward, screaming as she starts to fall towards the cliff.

"Ripple!" I know that without looking that Meghan has looked up and seen what is happening.

Literally, just seconds before Ripple tumbles over the edge, I snake my arm out and grab the little girl.

"Oh god Ripple. Are you okay?" I pull the shaking girl in close and hold her to my chest. Meghan runs up to us.

"Ripple? Ripple?" She pulls her sister away from me so that she can hold her in her own arms but continues to look at me. "I thought she was going to go over."

"She must have tripped on that rock. I can't believe she got so far forward." I say.

"At least you got her. Gosh, thank you so much Bracken." Meghan looks so relieved, so happy and there is admiration on her face.

"You're welcome." I say, hugging the terrified little girl again.

"I'm sorry but I need to take her home. She's terrified and she needs to calm down before the Reaping." Meghan looks apologetic as she leads her shaking little sister away.

"Don't worry about it. I hope she's going to be okay." I say.

"She will be. Thanks to you." Meghan walks off, leaving me with the thought that her last few words to me were incredibly cheesy and I revel in that.

I've wanted to hear something like that from Meghan for a long time. For years I've watched for the people who needed to be saved, or orchestrated those moments myself just so that she could see and admire me for saving them.

She has spent so long just going on about how I was in the right place at the right time and she had never been truly impressed until now.

And all I've ever wanted is to impress her.

I worked out a while ago that I probably needed to put her sister in danger to gain the recognition and respect I wanted from this girl.

I want recognition and respect from everyone because of my heroic actions.

I want them to chant my name and call me a hero.

Thinking these thoughts almost makes me want to find someone else to endanger and then save, but I know that I have to go to the Reaping instead.

I've spent too many years training that it would be a crime to be late. I've never specifically planned on volunteering, but training has given me the strengths and reflexes to be a hero, so I've always participated.

When I get to the Reaping about an hour later, Meghan is already there. She has just signed and is heading towards the girl's section when she sees me. Her face breaks out with a smile that I have never seen before, even though she is my best friend.

Well, I've never seen one like _that _before.

And I love it, but I hate that it took so many heroic actions to finally get it.

I wave at her and then head to sign in myself before going to my age group, the fifteen years old. After that I wait around for about ten minutes before everything finally starts. Like everyone else, I tune out until the first name is announced.

"Ann-"

"I volunteer!" A girl, the same age as me, hurries to the stage.

I can hear a soft muttering, and I know that some people are unhappy about having such a young tribute but she ignores them. She looks kind of desperate, like she is doing this for more than the reasons of a usual career.

I don't know what the reasons behind her volunteering are, but someone with so much desperation and determination is a good person to rescue and be a hero for.

"I'm Maria Winston." She tells everyone and the reaping continues.

I'm pleasantly surprised by what happens next.

"Bracken Daly."

My name is called, and I can't help but let a sadistic smile break out on my face as I hurry to the stage before someone can volunteer for me.

The Hunger Games is the perfect place to save and end some lives.


End file.
